Tragedies and Faith
by Dreamerwithatiara
Summary: Ed made a huge mistake. He and Al go out into the world to rectify this mistake. Ed makes a promise to Winry. Can they be together, or will they always have obstacles in their way?


I do not own FMA. I believe that honor goes to Hiromu Arakawa.  
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I stare at a blank screen trying to think of how to write this story. I think I'll introduce to you the characters of this story so you can have an idea of their roles in the tragedy that is Edward's quest for the unreachable.

First is Winry Rockbell. Automail mechanic, Edward and Alphonse Elric's best friend and neighbor in their childhood town of Resembool. Obnoxious, brilliant, caring, and easily angered, she works on automail with her granny – Pinako Rockbell – and waits around for the brothers to come back for a fix on Edward's automail.

Next on the list is Edward Elric. Fullmetal Alchemist. A young state alchemist – at 14 – he is on a quest for the philosopher's stone. Every so often, Edward has to go back to Resembool to visit his mechanic, Winry Rockbell. You see, Edward tried to perform an unspeakable act, of which you will read about later, and it ultimately cost him his right arm and left leg. Both these limbs were replaced with automail shortly after the crime. Edward is a short boy, easily angered and sensitive about his height and the lives of other people, and he is a main character of our story.

Alphonse Elric is Edward Elric's brother. Alphonse is also an alchemist, but he is not a state alchemist, like his brother Edward. Alphonse isn't your normal boy, however. He is the soul of a boy bound to a suit of armor. Why? It has to do with the unspeakable crime in which Edward performed. Alphonse wasn't the subject of the crime, but the unintended sacrifice. As you read on, this will make more sense. Alphonse is a shy, passive little soul who is also a main character of our story.

And we move onto my favorite character of the story, Roy Mustang. The Flame Alchemist is a Colonel in the military. Stoic, reckless and obsessed with climbing the ranks, Roy is Edward's superior officer in the military. He performs his flame alchemy using gloves made from ignition cloth with a transmutation circle in them. All he has to do, is create friction by snapping his fingers. The only person keeping him in line is Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye.

Riza Hawkeye is well known for her uncanny aim. She is one of Roy's subordinates, and the only one who can see what he doesn't. Riza is also stoic, calculating, careful, and very observant. She is not afraid to shoot someone who gets in her way. Her favorite target to threaten is Mustang. Riza and Roy go way back, growing up together in Central, and they have always been best friends, very close to each other's hearts.

There are other characters to the story, but you'll have to meet them as the story goes on. They're lesser characters, and these don't need an immediate introduction. But our story begins as Edward (otherwise known as Ed) and Alphonse (otherwise known as Al) leave for their journey seeking the philosopher's stone.

"Promise me Ed! Promise you'll come back!" Winry cried on Ed's shoulder. Ed scoffed.

"Of course I'll come back, Winry," Ed said with a smirk on his face. "I'll need to be alive if I'm gonna make my future wife happy."

Winry looked up at him with incredible hope in her eyes.

"You mean it, Ed?" She asked, tears staining her face.

"I mean it," he said with confidence, although inside he knew dying was a very real possibility with what he was searching for. He couldn't tell her that. But now he had a promise to keep to his brother, his mother, and his woman.

"You better come back, both of you," she cried, glaring at both of them, wrench in her hand. "I'll be really mad if you don't!"

Ed smiled. That was the spunk he'd fallen in love with. That was the spunk he was coming back for. She would keep him going to fulfill his promise to his brother to get his body back after the mistake he'd made. He watched her as her blue eyes leaked tears of sadness. He wished she wouldn't be sad, but he'd made a promise to her too, that he would come back.

"We'll be back, Winry! You don't need to worry!" Al stuttered, waving his metal hands in front of him.

"You better!" Winry whispered. Ed hugged her one last time, muttered one more promise, and the boys were off to Central to become state alchemists.

Ed knew he'd become state alchemist, no problem. He had an advantage over other alchemists. He didn't need a transmutation circle to perform alchemy. His brother on the other hand, Ed knew he couldn't even take the tests to become a state alchemist, since he didn't have a real body. He was a hollow suit of armor. He wasn't confident enough in his abilities, either. You had to know you could do it in order to make it as a state alchemist.

Ed had confidence in Al's abilities, but if Al didn't have his own, he couldn't do it. Ed would never say out loud that Al wasn't as good as he was, but he was still a good alchemist. Ed took a deep breath. To say he was terrified was an understatement. He was beyond petrified at the unknown of what would happen. But he knew he'd get answers. He was determined, and he knew how to get what he wanted. He was afraid he wouldn't come back. But he couldn't think about that right now, he needed to think of the philosopher's stone. It was the only thing that could bring his mother back.

"Brother?" came Al's voice from beside him.

"Yeah, Al?"

"Do you think we'll be okay?" Uncertainty filled his voice. Al always needed Ed's assurance.

"We'll be fine! We'll have the stone in no time, and we'll get Mom back before you know it!" Ed grinned. This would be no easy task, but hey, what did you expect? When you don't have anything on the philosopher's stone, you can't expect to find much easily. They just didn't have the resources, and the outside world would. And they were going to find it, one way or another. Ed would make sure of it.


End file.
